Donald Sterling loses court battle to prevent sale of Clippers

CaptionDonald Sterling

Danny Moloshok / Associated Press

Former Clippers owner Donald Sterling gestures while attending a game between the Clippers and Lakers in December 2011. Sterling lost his legal fight to prevent the sale of the Clippers after remarks he made about blacks led to a lifetime ban from the NBA.

Former Clippers owner Donald Sterling gestures while attending a game between the Clippers and Lakers in December 2011. Sterling lost his legal fight to prevent the sale of the Clippers after remarks he made about blacks led to a lifetime ban from the NBA.

Donald Sterling speaks to reporters during a 1981 news conference to announce he had purchased the San Diego Clippers. Sterling purchased the franchise for $13.5 million and moved the team to Los Angeles in 1984.

Donald Sterling speaks to reporters during a 1981 news conference to announce he had purchased the San Diego Clippers. Sterling purchased the franchise for $13.5 million and moved the team to Los Angeles in 1984. (Lenny Ignelzi / Associated Press)

Shelly Sterling wanted the judge to uphold the removal of her husband as trustee of the Sterling Family Trust, which owns the Clippers, on grounds of mental incapacitation. That would clear the way to implement her May agreement to sell the franchise to Steve Ballmer for $2 billion.

During the morning's closing arguments, Max Blecher, an attorney for Donald Sterling, accused Shelly Sterling of “an invidious scheme to strip Donald Sterling of his ownership rights of the Clippers.”

With a raised voice and waving arms, Blecher, calling the situation “unconscionable” and “devious,” described NBA Commissioner Adam Silver as a co-conspirator with Shelly Sterling.

Pierce O’Donnell, representing Shelly Sterling, dismissed Blecher's assertion, saying, “This was an argument for the media, not for the court.”

Earlier, O'Donnell put the case in simple terms.

“The doctors certified Donald as incapacitated. That’s the end of the matter,” O’Donnell said.

This time, something strange and wonderful happened. The skies cleared, the rain stopped and the starving blind man gorged himself on a much-needed victory and finally regained his sight ¿ the vision of making the playoffs.